Nancy Dow, a model and actress and the mother of Jennifer Aniston, has died. She was 79.

Aniston announced the news late on Wednesday, releasing a statement to People.

"It is with great sadness that my brother John and I announce the passing of our Mother Nancy Dow," Aniston said in her statement. "She was 79 years old and passed peacefully surrounded by family and friends after enduring a long illness. We ask that our family's privacy be respected as we grieve our loss."

Dow had reportedly suffered a stroke in 2011, and a second one last year, according to People.

Dow made her mark appearing in 1960s TV series such as "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "The Wild Wild West," and most recently appeared in the 2004 drama "Pure." She married her second husband, soap star John Aniston, in 1965. They divorced in 1980 when Jennifer Aniston was 9.

Aniston and her mother had a famous falling out in the '90s after Aniston shot to fame with the premiere of "Friends." Dow reportedly angered Aniston by giving an interview about her daughter without her consent (and later writing a tell-all memoir, also without Aniston's knowledge), causing a rift between the pair. The two eventually reconciled in recent years.

[via: People]

Photo credit: ABACA USA